Black Bean and Corn Salsa

I found this recipe on the Food Network's website and tweaked it a bit to suit our taste!  Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

• 1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels (I used the white corn)
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, half a palm full
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, just eyeball the amount
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, eyeball it
• Cilantro (chopped) add to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve. The corn will also place a quick-chill on this easy side-salad as it defrosts -- no need to refrigerate! 

We has this with our taco/burrito dinner and everyone loved it.  Some of us ate it on our burritos, others used it like a salsa and dipped chips in it and others just ate it with a spoon.  Super easy and yummy!

William's first pitching appearance!

William got his first chance to pitch in tonight's game.  The team was down significantly, but that didn't rattle William.  In just 3 pitches, he got 2 runners out and got his team out of the inning!

Look who is 16!

Happy Sweet 16 Grant!

Grant is now officially 16!  It is hard to believe it has been 16 years since he came into the world.  He was born on the one year anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing, the most heinous attack by an American on Americas on our own soil.    The day of the bombing I was wrought with grief and disbelief.  I ended up falling asleep that afternoon while nursing Emily and I had the strangest dream.  In the dream my husband's aunt, who had passed away shortly before Jay and I were married, appeared to me, holding a baby wrapped in a blue blanket.  She says to me "I know that you are troubled, but on this day, next year, you will have cause to celebrate"......Grant was due on May 17th, he made his appearance just after 1 AM on April 19th, on the anniversary of the bombing.


Other things I remember about that day:

1) Jay fainted during the delivery....Grant had his cord wrapped about his neck 3x and as he crowned, the doctor snipped the cord and blood went SPURTING across the room, the doctor held Grant with one hand and tried to catch Jay with the other!

2) Grant had the funniest shaped head, it kind of reminded me of a Klingon from Star Trek (no, I am NOT a Trekkie, but my mother loved the show)....luckily it straightened itself out pretty quickly!

Sophia made Grant his birthday cake.  When asked what kind of birthday cake he wanted, he said "one made with love" to which I replied "well you better ask someone else to make it!"...Sophia was happy to fulfill his request!

Happy Birthday Luke!

Look who is 5!

I can't imagine my world without Luke, every day he does something that bring a smile to my face or actually makes me laugh out loud!

You can find Luke's birth story on the birth story tab!

William hits a home run!

William hit a home run!  A real home run, not a little blooper, with fielding errors kind, but a hard hit, out of the park, home run!  I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he crossed the plate, but the looks on his team mates faces crack me up!  Way to go William!

This was his second at bat of the season, during his first at bat, he hit a double!

Jacob turns 14!

Jacob's birth was the one that took us from the realm of an almost normal sized family to that of a LARGE family!

Jacob was very sick and appeared septic at birth, he was group B strep positive.  He arrived after 36 hours of very intense labor, much on his own accord, because I was far too exhausted to push him into the world.  I crafted his middle name in honor of the midwife that stayed with me through my entire labor.  He was whisked away to the Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital right after he was born and put on IV antibiotics to fight the infection.  Despite the prolonged labor, Jacob had the most beautiful round head when he was born, he was the most beautiful baby, and if I don't say so myself, has matured into a quite handsome teenager!

Happy Birthday Cade!

Cade celebrated his 12th birthday on Easter!  Since his birthday was on Easter we decided to get his favorite cookie cake with a Easter/Birthday theme....a basketball and baseball playing bunny!